[865] Such people fall within the sphere of hypocrisy, and the sincerity of their Faith is in doubt. They are the companions of Satan, who enjoins ungodly acts and drives those who fall under his command away from acts of virtue. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[866] There is great hope of salvation in this aya. Both the great exegetical Companions Ibn ʿAbbās and Ibn Masʿūd (j) are of the view that this aya is one of a few that are better than all that the sun shines on (cf. al-Jazā’irī). ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) said: “There are five ayas in al-Nisā’ that I would not replace for the world. And I know for certain that those of knowledge would not pass by them without recognizing them. ˹They are˺: “If you ˹Believers˺ avoid the major ones ˹of the sins˺ that you are warned against, We will absolve you of your ˹lesser˺ misdeeds and We will have you enter a Noble Entrance ˹Paradise˺,” (4: 31); “Verily Allah does not deal ˹anyone˺ unjustly as much as a mote’s weight; if it is a ˹one˺ good deed done, then He multiplies it and grants from His own ˹additionally˺ a great reward,” (4: 40); “Allah does not forgive that He is Associated with, but He forgives what is lesser than that for whoever He wills,” (4: 48); “Had they – when they wronged themselves – come to you and sought Allah’s forgiveness and the Messenger sought forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” (4: 64); and, “Whoever commits an ill deed or wrongs himself, then seeks forgiveness from Allah shall find Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” (4: 110) (al-Ṭabarānī: 9069; al-Ḥākim: 3194). A number of Qur’anic ayas underline the fact that God will not deny people the least amount of the good they do and that He accounts for the most seemingly insignificant of deeds (cf. 21: 47, 31: 16, 99: 6-8). ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “None who bears the weight of a mustard seed of faith in his heart will enter Hell”. (Muslim: 91)
[867] Dharrah, often translated as atom, is a very small and insignificant amount. It is said to mean young ants, weightless things, a speck of dust that the air lifts easily and/or those minute particles that can be seen when a beam of light penetrates through gaps (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah; al-Zabīdī, Tāj al-ʿArūs).
[868] That God does not wrong anyone by the smallest amount, entails that He brings witnesses to testify either for or against those who are held to account on the Day of Judgement. These witnesses are no less than the most honourable Prophets that God sent to each nation to show them His Straight Path that leads to His Pleasure (cf. al-Rāzī).
[869] Your nation.
[870] They wish they could just vanish because they know that they will be held accountable for all their past actions and they can say nothing but the truth on that Day (cf. 36: 65; al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr al-Saʿdī).
[871] After describing how grave standing between the Hands of God on the Day of Judgement will be, and that only those who are pure in heart will be spared His Punishment, now the ayas refer to the best observance in standing between the Hands of God in this worldly life, during Prayers. It requires total devotion and untainted purity. (al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar)
[872] This ruling is abrogated by the aya that forbids consuming intoxicants altogether: “Indeed intoxicants, gambling, ˹setting up˺ altars ˹for idols˺ and divining arrows are obnoxiously vile – Satan’s own doing, so shun them; may you prosper”. (5: 90) (Cf. al-Naḥḥās, al-Nāsikh wa al-Mansūkh; al-Zuhrī, al-Nāsikh wa al-Mansūkh) This aya was revealed within the context of building the then emerging community, getting them ready for the total ban that was to follow.
[873] Janābah (ceremonial impurity), that state which follows after having sex or discharge of sperm because of arousal.
[874] While in a state of ceremonial impurity, one is allowed to pass through a place of Prayer but not stay in it, unless ghusl (washing) is performed. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[875] An illness which hinders people from using water. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[876] al-Ghā’iṭ originally means a depression in the land or ground lower than the surrounding area. When relieving themselves by urinating or excreting, Arabs of the time used to seek a low place in order to be hidden from the view of others. Later, the meaning was metonymically extended to mean the act of relieving one’s self. (Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah)
[877] This could figuratively mean having sexual contact with them or literally just touching them (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī). Jurists are of different opinions on this but the great Companion exegete, known as the interpreter of the Qur’an, Ibn ʿAbbās (ﷺ) opines that it is a metonym for sexual intercourse used euphemistically (cf. Ibn al-ʿArabī, Aḥkām al-Qur’ān).
[878] That is perform the act of dry ablution or tayammum.